Holy Trinity, 2013

JOHN 16:12-15

WE CHRISTIANS GO THROUGH MOST OF THE YEAR NOT THINKING ABOUT THE BLESSED TRINITY, WHICH IS UNDERSTANDABLE. WHEN WE TRY TO IMAGINE HOW THREE PERSONS CAN BE ONE GOD; HOW EACH CAN BE DISTINCT BUT AT THE SAME TIME EQUAL IN EVERY WAY; HOW ALTHOUGH EACH HAS A DIFFERENT ROLE, ALL PARTICIPATE IN EACH ROLE, IT STARTS TO HURT THE HEAD. SOME CHRISTIANS JUST GIVE UP –JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES, THE CHURCH OF GOD – THEY SAY SINCE IT DOESN'T SAY “TRINITY” ANYWHERE IN THE BIBLE, IT HASN'T GOT ANYTHING TO DO WITH BEING A CHRISTIAN. MUSLIMS SAY IT PROVES THAT CHRISTIANS WORSHIP THREE GODS, AND ARE THEREFORE PAGANS OR AT BEST, HORRIBLY MISGUIDED. AND PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE IN THE DOCTRINE GIVE ALL KINDS OF EXPLANATIONS: THE THREE PERSONS ARE THREE WAYS THAT WE UNDERSTAND GOD. THE THREE PERSONS ARE LIKE THE LEAVES ON A SHAMROCK; THE THREE PERSONS ARE LIKE WATER THAT CAN BE ICE, LIQUID, OR STEAM. THE THREE PERSONS ARE LIKE SOMEONE BEING A MOTHER, A WIFE, AND A DAUGHTER. ALL OF THESE IDEAS ARE OF COURSE WRONG.

I CAN'T EXPLAIN THE TRINITY. AND IT ISN'T IN THE BIBLE. BUT IT IS BIBLE-BASED. THE EARLY CHURCH, ONCE IT HAD TIME TO STOP AND THINK AFTER THE PERSECUTIONS WERE OVER, BEGAN TO ASK QUESTIONS LIKE, HOW CAN JESUS BE GOD AND MAN? WHY DID HE SAY HE AND THE FATHER WERE ONE, AND WHO SEES ME SEES THE FATHER? WHY DID HE TALK ABOUT THE FATHER AND HE COMING TO MAKE THEIR DWELLING IN THE CHRISTIAN? DOESN'T THAT SHOW IDENTITY? BUT THEN, WHY DID HE SAY THAT ONLY THE FATHER KNEW WHEN THE END OF THE WORLD WOULD COME; AND WHY DID HE PRAY TO THE FATHER? DOESN'T THAT SHOW DIFFERENCE? AND WHY DID HE SPEAK OF “ANOTHER ADVOCATE” WHO WOULD TAKE OVER WHEN HE HAD LEFT? WHY DID HE SAY THE FATHER SENT THE SPIRIT IN ONE PLACE AND YET HE GAVE THE SPIRIT IN ANOTHER? AND WHY DOES HE REFER TO THE SPIRIT AS “HE”, NOT “IT”?

THE FATHERS OF THE CHURCH, AFTER FOUR CENTURIES OF PONDERING THESE ISSUES, DOGMATICALLY CONCLUDED THAT GOD IS A TRINITY, CONSISTING OF THREE PERSONS, FATHER, SON, AND SPIRIT, YET ONE GOD, NOT THREE. AND SIXTEEN CENTURIES LATER, I DON'T THINK WE UNDERSTAND ANY MORE THAN THEY DID.

BUT THINK ABOUT THIS. THE TRINITY, AS IT TURNS OUT, SOLVES A LOT OF PROBLEMS. IF GOD IS PURE EXISTENCE, ALL POWERFUL, ALL GOOD, COMPLETELY PERFECT IN HIMSELF, LACKING NOTHING – WHY MAKE THE WORLD? WHY MAKE MAN? DID HE JUST GET THE IDEA ONE DAY? BUT THAT WOULD MEAN THAT BEFORE HE HAD THE IDEA, HE WAS NOT THE SAME AS AFTERWARD. GOD DOESN'T CHANGE. AND ANOTHER THING, IF GOD IS ALL KNOWING AND ALL POWERFUL, THEN NOTHING HAPPENS WITHOUT HIS CONSENT. SO BASED ON THIS IDEA, CALVIN SAID THAT EVEN OUR ETERNAL DESTINY WAS NOT IN OUR HANDS – GOD PLANNED BEFORE THE UNIVERSE EXISTED THAT SOME WOULD GO TO HELL AND OTHERS TO HEAVEN. MUSLIMS BELIEVE IN PREDESTINATION AS WELL – IF YOU DECIDE TO BECOME A SUICIDE BOMBER AND BLOW YOURSELF UP, GOD INTENDED FOR THAT TO HAPPEN FROM BEFORE TIME BEGAN. AND OF COURSE, THE TRINITY SOLVES THE PROBLEM OF WHY GOD BECAME MAN.

THOMAS AQUINAS SAID THAT THE FATHER KNOWS HIMSELF PERFECTLY; AND THIS PERFECT KNOWLEDGE, BEING PERFECT, EXISTS; THIS IS THE SON, DISTINCT FROM BUT IDENTICAL TO THE FATHER EXCEPT IN TERMS OF RELATIONSHIP; THE SON IS GENERATED, THE FATHER GENERATES. THE FATHER LOVES THE SON, AND THE SON LOVES THE FATHER. THIS LOVE IS SO ALL-ENCOMPASSING THAT IT TOO IS A PERSON, THAT EXISTS, EQUAL IN EVERY WAY TO THE FATHER AND THE SON, BUT DIFFERENT ONLY IN RELATIONSHIP. THE NATURE OF LOVE IS TO GIVE OF ONESELF. THE FATHER GIVES HIS WHOLE SELF TO THE SON, WHO IN TURN EMPTIES HIMSELF OUT FOR US; AND THE SPIRIT WORKS WITH US TO BRING US BACK TO THE FATHER, SO THAT ALL WILL BE IN ALL. GOD IS CREATOR; THAT'S HIS VERY NATURE.

AND GOD DOES KNOW EVERYTHING AND IS ALL POWERFUL; AND JESUS IS THE NECESSARY ONE, THE ONE WHO IS PREDESTINED, THE ONE WHO MUST SUFFER AND DIE AND RISE AGAIN. JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE UNIVERSE; AND IN JESUS WHAT GOD WANTS IS EXACTLY WHAT GOD GETS. WE HUMAN BEINGS CAN, THROUGH THE SACRAMENTS HE'S GIVEN US, UNITE OUR DESTINY TO HIS – OR CHOOSE NOT TO. WE CAN BECOME PART OF THE BODY OF CHRIST. FREE WILL IS COMPATIBLE WITH PREDESTINATION.

FINALLY, WHEN GOD BECAME MAN, THIS “BECOMING” STARTED AT THE BEGINNING OF TIME; THERE WAS NO TIME WHEN GOD WAS NOT BECOMING MAN. AND IT CONTINUES TO THE END OF TIME. FOR JESUS TO COME INTO THE WORLD, THE WORLD HAD TO BE MADE. IN A WAY, THE UNIVERSE IS THE SON, BROUGHT TO ITS HIGHEST POINT IN THE PERSON OF JESUS CHRIST. AND FROM THE BEGINNING OF TIME, THE SPIRIT WORKS TO KNIT ALL OF CREATION INTO A SEAMLESS GARMENT THAT THE SON PRESENTS TO THE FATHER.

IN A WAY, FOUR CENTURIES, TWENTY CENTURIES REALLY, OF THOUGHT ABOUT THE PERSON OF JESUS AND THE REVEALED TRUTH IN THE BIBLE CONCLUDE THAT THE TRINITY IS THE WAY GOD IS. OTHER WAYS DON'T MAKE SENSE AND STILL ACCOUNT FOR THE WORLD AS WE EXPERIENCE IT.

BUT ONE THING ABOUT THE TRINITY SHOULD HIT US BETWEEN THE EYES. THE TRINITY IS A COMMUNITY, ONE IN WHICH EACH PERSON EMPTIES HIMSELF OUT IN LOVE FOR THE OTHERS. ANY OF US WHO HAVE ACTUALLY LOVED OR EXPERIENCED LOVE KNOWS THAT THE HIGHEST LOVE IS LOVE THAT EMPTIES ITSELF OUT. A PARENT THAT SACRIFICES FOR A CHILD; A PERSON WHO GOES OUT OF HIS WAY FOR A FRIEND; A DOCTOR WHO GIVES UP HIS WEEKEND TO BE ON CALL FOR HIS PATIENTS; A PASTOR WHO IS UP ALL NIGHT WITH A DYING PARISHIONER; WE CAN THINK OF MANY EXAMPLES OF HOW PERSONS EMPTY THEMSELVES OUT, EVEN IN LITTLE WAYS. AND WE CAN THINK OF THOSE WHO HAVE EMPTIED THEMSELVES OUT FOR ANOTHER HEROICALLY – THE SOLDIER WHO DIES FOR HIS COUNTRY; THE MARTYR WHO DIES FOR HIS FAITH; THE HUSBAND WHO GIVES UP EVERYTHING TO TAKE CARE OF THE WIFE WITH ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE; THE ADULT CHILD WHO GIVES UP MARRIAGE OR A CAREER TO TAKE CARE OF AN INVALID PARENT. WE SEE THESE EXAMPLES OF SELF-GIVING, SELF EMPTYING LOVE, AND WE KNOW ON A DEEP LEVEL THAT IN SOME WAY GOD IS BEING REFLECTED AND IMITATED.

IN THE EASTERN CHURCH, THE PROCESS OF BECOMING HOLY, SOMETHING WE ARE ALL CALLED TO BE, IS REFERRED TO AS “THEOSIS” WHICH MEANS, THE PROCESS OF BECOMING GOD. THAT IS A STRANGE IDEA TO WESTERN MINDS, BUT IT CAPTURES A LOT. IN THE TRINITY, OUR EASTERN BROTHERS SAY, THE THREE PERSONS ARE IN A DANCE, WHERE EACH MOVES THROUGH THE OTHER, WHERE FOR ALL ETERNITY EACH EMPTIES HIMSELF OUT IN LOVE, AND AS SAINT JOHN SAID, GOD IS THE VERY DEFINITION OF LOVE. AND THE MORE WE EMPTY OURSELVES OUT FOR GOD AND FOR EACH OTHER, THE MORE WE LIVE IN THE HEART OF THE TRINITY, WHICH IS, OF COURSE, WHERE HEAVEN IS.